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Continue the Olympic Spirit in Your Community

Even though the London Olympics have concluded, we invite you to join us in continuing the spirit of the Games by joining 2012 Hours Against Hate, a campaign for global tolerance. Supported by Secretary Clinton, 2012 Hours Against Hate invites people to stop hate and bigotry by volunteering an hour or more of their time for someone who does not look, live, or pray like them. Carry on the Olympic spirit in your own community through actions that promote tolerance and mutual understanding, one hour at a time.

Here are 12 ways you can dedicate hours against hate:

1. Enjoy the Paralympics!

The Paralympics not only highlight amazing athleticism, but also the importance of disability rights. With Special Advisor for International Disability Rights, Judith Heumann, Hours Against Hate is proud to bring the campaign to the upcoming Paralympic Games, which run from August 29 to September 9. Check out Paralympic Gold Medalist Josh George's challenge for you!

2. Honor another religious tradition.

Make plans to honor another religious tradition, like Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, or Sikhism, by celebrating shared values during the holidays. Invite people from different backgrounds to join your celebration.

3. Walk A Mile to promote global tolerance.

Walk, run, or roll to promote fitness and global tolerance with Walk A Mile! Download the free SoFit application on your Apple or Android smartphone and partner virtually with people around the world to support groups building tolerance.

4. Use the power of sport to bring people together.

The Olympics and Paralympics remind us of the power of sport to build mutual respect and understanding among diverse groups of people. Organize a friendly competition in your community and invite friends and families to participate or watch.

5. Be curious. Learn about another culture or practice.

Respectfully ask someone about their culture or practice. Invite a friend to join you in learning about another culture through a museum exhibit, a dance performance, or a film from another part of the world.

6. Create dialogue. Organize a gathering on an issue on which you are concerned.

Invite your classmates, colleagues, or friends to discuss a tolerance topic that is important to you. Consider inviting a special guest, sharing a recent news article, or showing a documentary to help educate and jumpstart the conversation.

Food is a delicious way to increase cultural awareness and appreciation. Invite new friends to enjoy your traditional foods and let them know why these dishes are important to you and your heritage.

9. Celebrate the LGBT community.

Be an active and vocal supporter of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender rights as human rights. Celebrate the LGBT community at a gay pride event near you and pledge to condemn homophobia.

10. Broaden your social network.

Often our strongest bonds are with family members and friends with similar backgrounds. Broaden your social network to build new relationships with people who look, live, or pray differently than you. You may be surprised by new friendships you create!

11. Help at a food bank.Hunger cuts across lines of color, culture, and class. Volunteer at a local food bank to help feed those in need.

12. Learn a new language.

As any world traveler can confirm, knowing a few words in another language goes a long way to breaking down barriers and showing respect. Sign up for a foreign language or sign language class to communicate with someone different than you.